Michigan banned salmon snagging nearly two decades ago, but the repulsive practice lives on in the rivers of West Michigan.

These beauties can bring out the beast in some anglers.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers busted dozens of individuals over the past six weeks for using large treble hooks to snag salmon during the fish's annual spawning run. Snagging is the preferred weapon of lazy, unethical anglers.

Two of my favorite examples of anglers behaving badly during this year's salmon run occurred in Mason and Manistee counties.

Homer Simpson D'Oh Award: This goes to an angler who conservation officer Carla Soper busted for foul-hooking salmon on the Manistee River. When Soper confronted the guy and asked if he had any illegal fishing tackle, he opened his tackle box to show that he was playing by the rules. He didn't have any illegal tackle but there was a marijuana cigarette on the top shelf of his tackle box. Soper called in the narcotics team, who escorted the angler back to his camp site. There, officers found a bag of pot. Worse yet, it was the guy's third drug offense. Poor guy: He was snagged by his own stupidity.

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones award: This goes to an angler who flagged down two conservation officers to report that fishermen downstream of his position on the Pere Marquette River were snagging salmon. Officers Jim Espinoza and Brian Brosky walked downstream, only to find anglers fishing legally. They walked back upstream and watched, from a concealed position, as the snitch snagged a salmon. He was ticketed for snagging, as were two other anglers.

These cases prove, once again, that old habits die hard -- even when they are illegal.